Vale's heart raced with a mix of fear and confusion as he hurriedly made his way to the Headmaster's Office.n0Velusb.c0m
There was no way he would just forget about this incident and go on with his life. Professor Evans was just too much!
He needed to seek guidance from Headmaster Jean about Professor Gale Evans' aggressive behavior and the dangerous hold she had over him. Since his mystical item had already been damaged, he had to make an assurance that he wouldn't just get charmed by the Professor without his knowledge.
As he entered the office, Vale found Headmaster Jean seated behind his desk, engrossed in a stack of papers. Sensing Vale's presence, he looked up, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"Vale, what brings you here?" Headmaster Jean asked, his voice gentle yet authoritative.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Vale recounted the events that had transpired with Professor Evans. He explained the manipulative tactics, the allure of power, and the lingering effect it had on his mind, even after his escape.
Headmaster Jean listened attentively, his expression growing increasingly grave as Vale spoke. When Vale finished, the Headmaster leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled in thought.
"I apologize for what you've experienced, Vale. It seems that Professor Evans has crossed a line." Headmaster Jean said, his voice tinged with regret. "I will personally address this matter and ensure that such behavior is not tolerated within our Academy."
Relief washed over Vale as he realized that Headmaster Jean was taking his concerns seriously. He had placed his trust in the right person.
As Vale left the office, a faint smirk played across Jean's face.
Unbeknownst to Vale, Headmaster Jean had been aware of Professor Evans' actions all along. He may not have orchestrated the entire scenario, but he had allowed it to happen as a test to gauge Vale's resilience and discernment in the face of manipulation.
Deep in thought, Headmaster Jean pondered Vale's next steps. If Vale were still affected by Gale's scent, it would be challenging for him to conquer the Arcane Tower, a formidable challenge that he needed to win in the Twelve Academy Competition.
Determined to help Vale overcome this obstacle, for his own greed, Headmaster Jean considered a dangerous mission that could test his abilities further.
"I have no other choice... This is for your own growth." Headmaster Jean muttered to himself.
After careful consideration, he decided to send Vale on a mission during the break before the new Academic Year started.
The mission would not only test Vale's skills but also provide him with an opportunity to grow, both as a Dark Spellcaster and as an individual... or at least, this was what he was hoping to happen.
***
After a few days, when Headmaster Jean completed his preparations, he decided to visit Vale inside his room to break the news of his mission. In any case, this would involve something that he really wanted, so he could guarantee that Vale would do anything to get assigned to this mission.
"Hmm?" Jean raised his brow as he felt a strong force blocking his entry into his room.
It caught him by surprise, and he wasn't mad about it.
It took him a few seconds, but he managed to forcefully enter Vale's room. Then, he suddenly felt a strong killing intent sweeping over his whole body, which was still shrouded with Darkness.
Since it came to this, Headmaster Jean decided to just continue with the act.
'Let's see what you got...' Jean thought as he tried looking for Vale.
However, before he could even locate Vale's position within the room, he suddenly felt that the Darkness around him was being stripped away!
This alarmed him for a moment as he expected Vale to attack using strong offensive Dark Spells or even use his Dark Spirit. The sudden suction or removal of the Darkness Energy caught him by surprise.
Nevertheless, it wasn't enough to make him reveal himself. This action even revealed Vale's position.
'Let's try to use Shadow Soldier Spell on him... Let's see how he'll react.' Jean mused as he triggered his Shadow Soldier Spell.
However, for some reason, the Shadow Soldier refused to come out of Vale's Shadow!
That's right. It refused to go out, or perhaps it couldn't go out!
'How is he doing it?' Jean thought to himself... He could tell that the Spell had activated, and the Vale's shadow was already squirming.
Jean then recalled Vale's Dark Spirit and realized that it was probably the one causing trouble.
'What a strong Dark Spirit...'
Soon, he felt Vale gathering a frightening amount of Dark Energy as if he was ready to surrender his life just to defeat him!
"Stop! It's me, Headmaster Jean..." Jean immediately said and revealed himself, afraid that Vale would harm himself.
"So it was you, Headmaster. I thought it was Professor Evans getting her revenge after you scolded her." Vale replied with a smirk on his face.
Jean simply waved his hand as he decided to forget about this matter.
"I came here to give you a good news. I heard from Professor Zara, Mark, and Cyrus about your request to get access to some corpses of humans or Arcanists. They asked me for permission since they were afraid that it might harm you... Don't think badly of them since they were just looking out for you. They even canceled their arrangements to have you fight against their Fourth-Year Students for your sake..." Jean said with a smile.
"They canceled the arrangements?" Vale wryly smiled at this. "In any case, I don't mind even if they consult you about it, Headmaster. Are you going to give me access now? Where are they?" Vale asked with a hint of excitement.
If the class started once again, he would probably have to wait for another year before he gets a chance to extract corpses.
One year without any Extraction felt so disastrous!
"Yes... I made special permission for you to enter the Dark Soul Tower of the Necromancy Branch! You'll get plenty of corpses there!" Headmaster Jean replied with a creepy smile that was familiar to Vale.
"Dark Soul Tower?" Vale frowned as he felt that his intention to look for corpses was being misunderstood by the Headmaster and those three Professors.
If the Necromancers were using that place, the Tower might be filled with Undead and Spirits, instead of corpses! What he needed was fresh corpses, or at least those that were well-preserved since the quality of his extractions would deteriorate if the corpses were badly damaged.
Headmaster Jean noticed Vale's frown, so he chuckled and explained.
"Don't worry... It will be filled with fresh corpses from ordinary humans, including Dark Arcanists... You just need to reach the third floor."